Circular-knitting machine.



- No. 648,347. Patented Apr. 24, I900,

' J. WARDALL.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application filed 18.11. 23, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 $heets$heat l.

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No. 648,347. Patented Apr. 24, I900.

J. WARDALL.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Jan. 28, 1899.) V (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFicEE.

JAMES WARDALL, or NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES MARTIN, on SAME PLACE.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

srnomrcA'rroN forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,347, dated April 24, 1906-.

l Application filed January 23,1899. Serial No. 703.118. (NO m del-l T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES WARDALL, ho siery manufacturer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of I'Iucknall Torkard, Nottingham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines for Producing Laces, Cords, and Like Articles, of which the following is'a full, clear, and exact specification. t

This invention relates to machines for producing by knitting fancy tubular or covered cords, such as blind cords, picturecords, cords for upholstery purposes, stay or boot laces, tapes, and the like. Such articles have up to the present been usually made by braiding or plaiting machines, the latter being capable of working at a much higher speed than knitting-machines hitherto constructed for the same purpose.

The main object of the present invention is to construct a knitting-machine which will work reliably not only at as high but even at a very much higher speedthan the braiding or plaiting machines and which is capable of producing the great variety of patterns distinctive of knitted goods.

In a machine made according to my inven-' tion each knittingneedle has in the usual way a projection or butt which engages in a groove or slot in a hollow cylinder, hereinafter called the cam-ring, so that when the cam-ring rotates relative to the needle, or vice versa, the needle is caused to move alternately in either direction parallel to the axis of the cam-ring, and thereby perform the knitting process. The number of reciprocations of the needle during one rotation of the cam-ring will obviously only depend upon the path of the groove.

Now I have found that in order to obtain the necessary travel of the needles at a sufficientIyThigh speed the diameter of the path or groove in which the needle projections or butts travel must be considerably larger'than' the diameter of the circle in which the ricedle-points are arranged when small articles, such as lacesor the like, are to be produced, so that the inclines or rises in the cam-ring of the machine are sufficiently moderate to suit the high speed of working.

As a result of my experiments I have found that the steepness of the cam-groove is gove'rned by the velocity of the needle-butt in the groove -that is tosay, the greater the velocity of the needle-butt the less the steepness of the cam-groove. The velocity of the needle-butt depends upon the extent of rise of each needle and the number of loops it has to knit per minute. In a machine constructed according to my invention it is therefore possible to obtain the highest speeds of working consistent with the safety of'the other mov ing parts of the machine.

In order that the needles should travel with the greatest possible smoothness, they should be of such a shape as to enable substantially the Whole of both their inner and outer edges to be positively guided throughout the travel of the needles.

Suitable devices are provided for maintaining the proper tension on the yarns and on the work, the tension on the work being obtained by means of a take-up arrangement which can be adjusted to correspond with the speed'of working.

In order that my invention may be readily understood, I will describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in one form of which the inclines on the cam-grooves when developed on a flat surface are practically straight lines, although it is obvious that they might be more or less in the form of curves. I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of my improved machine. Fig. 2 isa horizontal section on the line mm, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the needle-cylinder and its driving mechanism, the former being in vertical central section.

a is the needle-cylinder, the upper part a of which is contracted, as shown. a are vertical tricks in the said cylinder, and a is a narrow central aperture or bore down which thework a passes.

12 represents the needles, of which the number may be varied according to circumstances. The said needles are secured in line with the inner edges of their jacks I), while the needlebutts 17 project from the outer edges thereof. Thus the butts are disposed on a comparatively-large circuit, while the needles are ar-- Y i. samepla'ne asth'e axis of the cam-ringshould not be less than forty degrees; For speedsfoffrom five hundred to seven hundred re'vo: a; lutions'the an gleshouldnot be-les'sthan thirtyfive degrees, while for speeds of two hundred ranged on: a working circle of very small' di ameter;

'c is the cam-ring, which is imade -of steel,

as arealso'the needle jacks or sinkersl. This cam-ring closely surrounds the needle cylinderandhas its groove 0. arranged at suitable angles proportionate to the speed at-which thousand" revolutions per minute in a ma;

Iv witha rise-and fall of the needles amounting line through the point parallel to and infthe to four hundred revolutions it should n'otbe 'cam-g'roo'v e, there being one rise for eachjof' the 'knitting yarns I employed. For a m' -q chine to work at eighthundred to one thou- I 5 sand revolutionsa convenient internaldiwill] less than/thirty degrees. I The minimum diameterof the camfc'ylinf .der depends upon therise or length of travel 5 of the needles andthe number of rises in the ameter is approximately thirty-one thirtyseconds of an inch if two rises be employed, but if there be three it. should be one and seven-sixteenths of an inch, as in thedrawings, while for four it should be one and fit teen-sixteenths of an inch, the circle on which the needles work being one-eighth-inch diameter in each case If, however, the speed i he, say, from two. hundred to four hundred revolutions, the diameters might be nineteen thirty-seconds of an inch with two rises, fiftynine sixty-fourths withv three, and one and seven thirty-seconds-with four.

These .pro: portions give substantially the minimum diameters of'the cam-ring inthe cases stated;

but it is obvious that larger diameters may be used, as the inclines would then be within the limit of steepness. The positive guidinglof the needles is due to their jacks b conforming to the shape of the tricks a and being guided on their inner edges by the inner walls a} of the latter, while their outer edges-are guided by the cam-ring. As both edges are parallel, the true longitudinal movement of the needles is efiectually insured.

d represents the knitting-yarns (which may be of various colors) for the tube or covering.

The work a as produced is drawn down through the cylinder-bore a by a pair of roughened take-up rollers e, which are in gear by a worm e'an'd pinion 6 with the driving -mechanism of the cam-ring, so that their Wing-nut e A guide-roller e is provided otherwise be devoid-of pattern.

The pressure on under which the work passes on itsway to the take-up rollers,-thus insuring itsbeing kept :central thereon. TIhis take-uparrangement 'is mountedin a frame e carried by a spindlej e .projecting from a bracket 6 The cam-ring c'onsists of an-upperan'dlower portion, which are completely separated-by the oam-groove, the "mechanical connection. gbeingeffe'ctedj externally" byshor-t pillars or uprights c Thebracket c has (securedcentrally in it a downwardlyextending stemor a shank a, on-the needle cylind'er, wherebythe to five-.eighths of an inchthe angle of inclina ,j tion. of the cam-groove at any point-with a.

latter,- is fixed in position and; can fbe'a'djusted as to height'fto vary'theylengthbf the 'loopsi Upon the'cam-ring is 's'eoured aplate or. table ff, carrying th guideso -Ifeedersd and spools'or copsl'd for the knittingyarns.

- If a central-core orlfilling-yarn be employed, 'it' is. su pplied-fro n ajsp'ool or spoolsarranged in any convenientjpositionnearthe machine. The machine shown- -has'a central stem or pedestalh, adaptedto be screwed to abench .or table through-lugs 71;"; On this pedestal are mounted the bracket, carrying the knitting mechanism proper, the'bracket e supporting the take-upfmechanism, and. also a bracket-gt, supporting a pillowgfl'from which project armsgi" g, the former carrying the feed-tube-flg'and the. latter the spool g on 'whichthe core iswoundf To the sideof the 10 for-working the machine slowly when adjusting the parts, and a bevel -;wheel for drivingthe worm 6, .whose spindle has at its upper-end a bevel-wheel k meshing with the saidv wheel 70 j 1 It? is a fork for shifting the driving-belt, and k is a set-screw" for clamping the said fork in'place. x I I If the cam-rin g isstationary andthe needle- .cylinder revolves, it is necessary'to provide means for taking the twist out of the core.

-Referring to the pattern-printing arrangement, this is intended more especially for printing patterns on goods consisting of plain yarns all of the same col or,which goods would The said arrangement comprises a pair ofprintingrollers 0 0', the latter of which is engraved 1n any desired way and is; kept ,inked? by a color-wheel 0*. Suitable means are provided to press the roller 0 against the roller 0, and said rollers are mounted in a frame q, sub stantially similar to the frame 6 of the takeuparrangement. This frame q is secured to the machine by a vertical arm 1*. The printing-rollers are driven by gear-wheels 3 5 8 the last of which gears with a corresponding gear-wheel on the axle of one of the take-up rollers, and the work as it leaves the take-up arrangement passes down directly between working parallel with each other and with the cylinder-axis, jacks for said needles of the same shape as said grooves,a straight camcylinder closely surrounding said cylinder and having its inner surface parallel with the axis of said needle-cylinder and serving as a guide for said needle-jacks and means for rotating one of said cylinders relatively to the other, substantially as described;

2. In a high-speed knitting-machine for very small work in which one set of needles only is employed, the combination of a needle-cylinder having deep vertical tricks or grooves, needles working parallel with each other, jacks for said needles of the same width as the tricks and having their edges parallel with the cylinder-axis, a cam-cylinder surrounding said needle-cylinder, a horizontal plate or platform secured to said cylinder,

spool-spindles on said plate or platform, up-

per yarn-guides carried on said spindles, and lower yarn-guides arranged in close proximity to the needles, substantially as described.

3. A high-speed knitting-machine employing a single set of needles only, consisting of a straight needle-cylinder having deep grooves, a set of needlesarranged parallel with'one another and with the axis of the needle-cylinder, the needle-jacks formed of the same shape as said grooves, the straight cam-cylinder surrounding the needle-cylinder and having an internal surface parallel with the axis of the needle-cylinder and guiding said jacks, means for rotating one of said cylinders, a horizontal spindlesupporting plate mounted on the cam cylinder and through which the needles work, the vertical spool-carrying spindles rising from said plate, the tension-springs mounted on said spindles and acting against the spools on the spindles, a tubular core-guide above the needles, tension devices mounted on the spindle-carrying plate, and needle-operating mechanism, substantially as described. a

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

J AMES l/VARDALL.

Witnesses:

O. D. HEARN, J12, THOS. H. Coon. 

